25 Mid-Hudson Nonprofits To Support This Holiday Season

MID-HUDSON VALLEY, NY — If you’re like many of your neighbors in Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster Counties, you may spend a good part of the holiday season with your credit card in hand buying gifts for family and friends. Coming up soon is a chance to give back to the local community.

Giving Tuesday, which in 2024 falls on Dec. 3, is a day dedicated to supporting nonprofit and community groups. Since 2012, nonprofits worldwide have used the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to galvanize fundraising, rally volunteers and add momentum to their causes.

Maintaining funding is a constant challenge for many nonprofits that fill gaps and meet other needs in Orange, Dutchess and Ulster Counties.

Here are 25 local nonprofits to consider getting behind on Giving Tuesday:

• Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie): "The Alzheimer's Association Hudson Valley Chapter serves seven counties in New York, including Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester."
• American Red Cross Eastern NY Region (Newburgh): "Serving 27 counties and more than 3.6 million people, the American Red Cross Eastern New York Region is comprised of the Central & Northern New York, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern New York chapters along with 3 Blood Donation Centers."
• Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh: "To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens."
• Boys & Girls Club of Ulster County: "to inspire and enable all youth to lead better lives by providing positive opportunities to develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and adults."
• Dutchess County SPCA: "one of the oldest SPCAs in the country. This shelter is no-kill shelter now and always. Dutchess County SPCA is not a governmental agency, nor is it affiliated with the ASPCA. It is an independent charity, funded almost entirely by private donations."
• Dutchess Land Conservancy: "dedicated to preserving the scenic, agricultural, and environmental resources of Dutchess County, New York, and the surrounding areas."
• East Fishkill Community Library: "to inform and engage the community as to the Library’s resources, services, and needs. We promote and encourage appreciation, understanding, enjoyment, and public use of the Library through fund-raising, advocacy, and programming."
• The Fresh Air Fund: "The Fresh Air Fund’s Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY, has over 2,000 acres of beautiful land with lakes, ponds, streams and hiking trails through the woods.
  During the school year, members of the community and school groups in the tristate area participate in our year-round environmental educational programs."
• Friends of the Kingston Library: "Kingston Library provides great resources for research, learning, and enjoyment for local residents, but the library can get only so far on tax money. That’s where Friends of the Kingston Library comes into play. Through various volunteer and fundraising efforts, Friends of the Kingston Library works hard to improve every aspect of the library, including the facilities, the collection, and the programs offered. All of us in Friends appreciate the cultural and educational value of Kingston Library, and we hope you’ll join us in helping to make the library the best it can be."
• Friends of the Middletown Thrall Library: "dedicated to supporting our library, Middletown Thrall Library. Membership dues and proceeds from the sale of secondhand books, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, etc. at our Used Book Store help the library acquire new materials and equipment. We also provide the library funding for special public events."
• Friends of the Newburgh Free Library: "The Library needs more than books. It needs Friends. Friends of the Newburgh Free Library are a volunteer group of people who believe in the importance of books, cultural activities, and libraries, for people of all ages."
• Friends of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District: "to provide an association for people interested in the Poughkeepsie Public Library District; to promote the importance of the library as an informational and cultural force in the community; to develop a thorough understanding of the library’s responsibilities, limitations, and difficulties; to make the public aware of the facilities of the library and to stimulate use of the library’s services and resources; and to encourage support of the library through gifts and volunteer services."
• Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, Inc. (Cornwall): "collects donated food from the food industry and distributes it to more than 1,000 partner agencies and programs feeding our neighbors in need throughout 23 counties of northeastern New York. The food provided by the Regional Food Bank helps to feed over 350,000 people each month. In 2023, the Food Bank distributed more than 48 million pounds of food (enough for 40 million meals) to our neighbors in need. The Regional Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks."
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh: "dedicated to providing decent, affordable homeownership through partnership with families. Reaching across religious, cultural, and racial boundaries, we seek to strengthen a sense of community with the common goal of strengthening neighborhoods through homeownership."
• Hudson Valley Honor Flight: "'Honors American Veterans' for all their sacrifices. We transport these heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials at no cost to them."
• Hudson Valley Justice Center (White Plains, Newburgh, Yonkers, Poughkeepsie): "provides high-quality legal counsel in civil matters where basic human needs are at stake. We represent poor and low-income individuals who cannot afford an attorney, regardless of immigration status."
• Meals on Wheels Greater Hyde Park: "assisting residents living in the Hyde Park Central School District and the Village of Rhinebeck to remain independent by providing them with nutritious, home-delivered meals."
• Meals on Wheels Greater Newburgh: "prepares and delivers hot, nourishing, noontime meals for individuals who are confined to their homes and unable to cook adequately for themselves due to age, illness, injury or disability. Recipients can also request frozen meals for evenings, weekends and holidays."
• Meals on Wheels Greater Poughkeepsie: "We nourish and enrich the lives of Poughkeepsie seniors with every meal delivered. Join us in making a difference!"
• Orange County Land Trust: " has helped protect 7,260 acres of land through the negotiation of conservation agreements with private landowners, property donations, and the acquisition of private property."
• Special Olympics NY (Wappingers Falls): "provides inclusive opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to discover and unleash the champion within. Our athletes experience the thrill of competing in authentic sports. They overcome defeat, taste victory and stay active for life."
• Town of Wallkill Boys & Girls Club: "carves out space, time, and attention for nearly 2,000 kids annually who need us. We provide kids in Northern Orange & Sullivan Counties a safe place to learn and grow alongside caring, adult professionals, and offer life-enhancing programs that help them be kind, confident, and capable."
• Ulster County Habitat for Humanity: "believes that every person should have a safe and affordable place to live.Together, with our supportive community, we help families build homes, ensuring a brighter future.We are dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally through constructing homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions."
• YMCA of Middletown: "programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Our YMCA began its service in 1882, and over the years, expanded to serve all of Orange County and Southern Sullivan County."
• YMCA of Kingston & Ulster County: "providing social, health, physical education and recreation services to the residents of Ulster County. YMCA programs includes school-age child care, health enhancement / fitness classes, summer camps, swim lessons for all ages, special scholarship programs for low-income youth and families & physical rehabilitation programs. The YMCA serves all groups from infants to seniors. The Y is a cause-driven nonprofit focused on three areas of impact: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility."